Draft-rigging.



No. 854,042. I PATBNTED MAY 21, 190?. M. Human.

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APPLIOATIOI FILED BBiT. 25. 1006. I I

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN KENNEDY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM RENSHAW, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT-RIGGING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed September 25, 1906. Serial No. 336,108.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN KENNEDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Rigging, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in draft-riggings for railway cars.

Among the objects of my inventionare the provision of a strong, simple and durable draft-rigging which shall be of less weight than the draft-riggings now in use, thereby cheapening the cost and lessening the dead weight to be carried by a train of cars, also the provision of a draft-rigging of the type in which the draw-baris connected with a yoke engaging a buffer spring, in which the constructionshall be such that the yoke shall be protected against bending and in which the construction shall be such also that the rigging will be operative even though the yoke should break, and the yoke, even if broken, will be held in the rigging in such a manner that it will not drop out upon the right-ofway and thus be liable to cause the derailment of the cars. These and such other objects as may hereafter appear are attained by my present invention, a convenient embodiment of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the under side of a portion of a car, fitted with one embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of such a draft-rigging. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the coupler head. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the draft-rig ging. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view. Fig. 6 is an elevational sectional view on the lines 66 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view of the yoke and connected part of the draw-head; and Fig. 8 is an elevational view of a plate used to inclose the movable parts of the rigging.

Like letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A, A indicate parts of the framework of the under side of a car.

B is the draft member, preferably formed in one piece of metal hollowed and with the under side cut away so as to form a forked device covered at the top to receive the movable parts of the draft-rigging. The draftmember B is formed adjacent to its forward end with draft shoulders C adapted to be engaged by draft shoulders D on the drawhead E which is mounted in the recess of the draftmember B. The draw-head E is preferably pivotally connected with the coupler head F. The draft-member B is provided in its recessed portion with a block Gr (see Fig. 6), which is preferably integral therewith and which is so arranged as to provide guideways H between its vertical faces and the opposed inner vertical faces of the draft member B. This arrangement is also shown in Fig. 1.

Secured to the draw-head E is a yoke I. This yoke extends, horizontally within the recess in the draft member B and the arms thereof pass through the guide-ways H previously noted.

The block G is provided with spring seats J for coiled springs K and L which abut against the center partition 9 in the block G. The spring L is also normally compressed by the transverse member of the yoke I, while the spring K engages the back of the draw-head E. It will thus be observed that these springs serve in a manner to counterbalance each other.

The draftanember B is arranged in the usual manner with the open side of its recess opening downward and the plates M and N serve to confine the movable parts of the draft-rigging therein. The plate N, it will be observed, also serves to so confine the yoke I that in case, as often happens, the yoke I should break, it will not be free to drop out of the draft-timber B, while the guide-ways for the yoke I serve to prevent any lateral bending of the yoke I suflicient to give it a perma nent set and thus interfere with its operation.

In operation, as whenever there is a draft upon the coupler-head F, the spring L will-be compressed as the yoke I is drawn forward against it and the spring K will expand, thus tending to balance the action of the spring L. In view, of the fact, however, that the eX pansive force of the spring K lessens as the spring expands and the resiliency of the spring L is increased as the spring is compressed, the equalizing action of the two springs is quickly overcome, and while the spring L serves as a cushion to overcome the jar of a sudden pull on the draw-head, the

initial equalizing action of the two springs re sults in producing a graduated spring action. From a slight resistance to the forward move ment of the yoke at the beginning of its movement an increasing resistance is quickly developed and a smoothly graduated cushioning action results. In backing the cars, exactly the reverse action. occurs, the spring K being compressed and the spring L expanded, and, of course, the same graduated cushioning action results. It will further be observed that in case the yoke should break it cannot fall out of the draft-member because of the presence of the plate N, and although such breaking of the yoke might interfere with the cushioning action of the springs, the device would still be operative as a draft-rigging because of the engagement between the draft shoulders D in the draw-head E with the draft shoulders C on the draft member B. It will also be noted that by reason of my arrangement of the movable draft-rigging and the springs, the usual followers are dispensed with and the weight of the rigging as a whole is thereby very materially lightened, thus lessening the cost of the rigging and very mate rially lessening the aggregate of dead weight of the train.

I claim:

1. In draft rigging for railway cars, a metal draft member comprising a forked portion forming a pair of draft arms, inwardly projecting shoulders on said arms, a block disposed between the arms of the draft'member in such a manner as to leave guide-ways between the block and the sides of the arms, and means whereby the draft member may be attached to the car, said draft member cast or otherwise formed in one piece, in combination with a draw head located between the draft arms so as to abut against the draft shoulders, a yoke connected with the draw head and extending through the guide-ways and around the block, and a pair of springs seated against the block, one of said springs abutting against the inn er end of the yoke and the other against the end of the draw head.

2. Draft rigging comprising a draft member having a forked portion and a central abutment, a draw-head, a horizontally disposed yoke connected with the draw-head, said yoke and draw-head within the forked portion of the draft member and lying close to the arms thereof so as to be guided in their reciprocations thereby, a pair of springs interposed between the abutment and the draw head and end of the yoke, said springs operating one against the other to normally hold the draw-head in a central position, guideways formed in the abutment for the yoke, and a plate under the abutment having ribs extending into the guide-ways formed by said abutment.

3. Draft rigging comprising a draft member having a forked portion and a central abutn'ient, a draw-head, a horizontally disposed yoke connected with the draw-head, said yoke and draw-head within the forked portion of the draft member and lying close to the arms thereof so as to be guided in their reciprocations thereby, a pair of springs interposed between the abutment and the draw-head and end of the yoke, said springs operating one against the other to normally hold the draw-head in a central position, and guide-ways formed in the abutment for the yoke, and plates spanning the forked part of the draw-head, one under the yoke and one under the draw-head.

4. Draft rigging comprising a draft member consisting of a bar for attachment to the car and a forked portion having an'integral central abutment within the fork, a drawhead, a horizontally disposed yoke connected with the drawhead, said yoke and drawhead within the forked portion of the draft member and lying close to the arms thereof, so as to be guided in their reciprocations thereby, a pair of springs interposed between the abutment and the draw-head and end of the yoke, said springs o erating one against the other to normally old the draw-head in a central position, shoulders on the draw head, and shoulders on the forks of the draft member.

5. Draft rigging comprising a forked draft member, a block disposed between the forks of the draft member, a draw-head, a yoke connected with the draw-head, said yokeand draw-head lying within the block member and close to the arms thereof so as to be guided thereby, a pair of springs interposed between the fork and the draw-head and end of the yoke, said block being recessed for the springs and forming, together with the forked arms of the draw-head, guide-ways for the yoke.

6. In draft rigging, the combination of an integral draft member consistin of a bar for attachment to the car, a forked portion covered on top, and a block extending from the top of said member within the fork thereof so as to leave guide-ways between the arms of said fork and the block, with a drawhead, a yoke connected with the draw-head and extending through said guide-ways, and a pair of springs interposed between the block and the yoke and draw-head.

7. In draft rigging, the combination of a forked draft member, inwardly extending shoulders formed on said forked portion, a draw-head having a reduced part arranged so as to always be between and guided by said shoulders, said draw-head provided with transverse shoulders to abut against the shoulders on the draft member, and buffersprings arranged within the forked portion of the draft member and connected with the draw-head so as to cushion the same.

8. In draft rigging, the combination of an integral draft member consisting of a bar for attachment to the car, a forked portion having inwardly extending shoulders, and a central abutment within the forked portion, with a draw-head having a reduced part extending between the shoulders on the draft member, and transverse shoulders to abut said shoulders on the draft member, a yoke connected with said draw-head, and springs 1 o interposed between the central abutment and the yoke and draw-head.

9. In draft rigging, the combination of a hollow draft member having inwardly extending shoulders formed thereon, a drawhead having a reduced part arranged so as to be always between and guided by said shoulders, said draw-head provided with transverse shoulders to abut against the shoulders on the draft member, and buffer springs arranged within said draft member and connected with the draw-head so as to cushion the same.

10. In draft rigging, the combination of a hollow draft member, a central abutment within the draft member, shoulders on the outer end of said draft member, a draw-head within said draft member and having shoulders to abut against the shoulders on the draft member, a yoke connected with the draw-head and extending around the central abutment, and springs interposed between the inner end of the yoke and the abutment and between the abutment and the draw head.

MARTIN KENNEDY.

Witnesses:

O. R. BARNETT, G. Y. SKINNER. 

